Carla Williams Johnson of Carli Communications On Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Leader During Uncertain & Turbulent Times
Listen and communicate often. Don’t be afraid to be transparent and have tough conversations, particularly during turbulent times. Inform them of ideas and encourage feedback as you work together to resolve the issues. Your employees will respect honesty and feel part of the team.
As part of our series about the “Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Leader During Turbulent Times”, we had the pleasure of interviewing Carla Williams Johnson.
Carla, also known as The CEO’s Publicist is a Public Relations & Crisis Management expert who specializes in reputation management for CEOs and the protection of their public image. Her award-winning company Carli Communications seeks to enhance the lives of business owners by showcasing their public persona in the best possible light, ultimately getting them seen, heard, and paid.
Thank you so much for your time! I know that you are a very busy person. Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?
If I’m being perfectly honest, I didn’t know I had this gift. I took for granted that what I knew, others needed to understand how to do. After close to two decades in the field of marketing, media, and communications, I live and breathe this every day and it’s second nature to me.
So much so, that getting features for myself and my company locally, regionally, and internationally has become second nature.
It was a call from someone who had been watching and observing me over time and who said she needed my help to get her featured. She’d been trying for years and just couldn’t make any headway.
I hesitated
Could I do this?
Can I help her?
My first instinct was to say no, but she believed that I was exactly what she needed.
I relented and within two weeks of us working together, I was able to get her published in three major business publications.
What took her years to accomplish, she did in just a few days with my help, and from that point on I could no longer deny that I was uniquely blessed with the talent to help others do the same.
From then on I started teaching others, and then I started doing things for them…..fast forward to now, I’m everyone’s ‘go-to’ publicist, plus I am also a lecturer for Public Relations and Crisis Management at two prestigious institutions here in Trinidad and Tobago.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Funniest?
Well at the time it wasn’t funny but now I laugh because I learned my lesson. When I first started my business, I would meet with potential clients at their offices regularly. Not a fan of driving, most times I would take my significant other with me……(and I would tell potential clients he was my driver)
Anyways while at a meeting with a gentleman, we got into a discussion about what was best for him and how he should proceed. He had gotten some bad advice before and I didn’t want him to keep wasting money on promotional packages that weren’t working.
Now, I’m not saying that he pushed back and argued with me because I was female but he gave off this ‘know it all’ vibe and challenged everything I was saying……..to which my boyfriend spoke up and said “Listen, Carla knows her stuff and whatever she says to do, just do it! You won’t regret!” Eventually, I did book the client, but unfortunately, his misogyny started to show, and I just couldn’t work with him anymore.
I learned pretty quickly that just because someone can pay for my services doesn’t mean they’re my ideal client. Sometimes I have to say no for sanity’s sake. I saw the signs and I still pursued thinking that my knowledge and expertise would win him over, but all it did was encourage him to comment on how my legs looked every time I had to pick up the cheque.
From then on, I always understood that it’s a relationship I’m building with clients so I have to ensure that our values are aligned.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
So many people have helped me in so many ways, but I would have to say my best friend who has been cheering me on from day one! Odessa Laulys has been by my side and is my rock and, she’s more than a friend, she’s my big sister. She’s been there for everything in business and life and I have no idea what I would do without her.
Another person I must shout out is my good friend Marlena Cole. She’s a Relationship Coach and she was the one who reached out to me because she knew I could help her build her business. Little did we know at the time that such a close friendship would emerge. She saw in me what I was so afraid to see in myself and truly gave me the confidence to step out and do what I’m good at.
Extensive research suggests that “purpose-driven businesses” are more successful in many areas. When your organization started, what was its vision, what was its purpose?
Being in alignment and more purpose-driven is the way to truly build a successful brand.
My company’s passion has always been to empower entrepreneurs with the tools to embrace the very thing that makes them unique. We help them infuse the power of public relations into their brands to create a purpose-driven and profitable global entity.
So focused are we on our vision that our last annual event was themed: Empowering through Purpose-Driven Platforms where we shared tools and strategies that attendees can utilize to show up authentically to get seen, heard, and paid internationally.
Thank you for all that. Let’s now turn to the main focus of our discussion. Can you share with our readers a story from your own experience about how you lead your team during uncertain or difficult times?
Allow me to take you back to the thousand days that was March 2020
Covid-19 was real, the world was in turmoil and no one knew what was going to happen.
We were all at a standstill with no idea of what the future held.
Like many other businesses, we had to deal with clients canceling; Being in the marketing industry, I understood that it’s pretty standard that these budgets are the first to cut when things go south, but this time it was different. We lost four clients in a day and that was just the beginning.
There was pandemic news, quarantines, and lockdowns; it felt like the end of the world.
My mindset was that we were NOT GOING TO GIVE UP.
We’ve helped others before like when we helped a client who couldn’t launch because of major flooding across her country,
We helped her pivot and she made $10k in one week……We turned things around for her, we’ll do the same for us.
So, as the CEO of my company, I showed up…..EVERYWHERE and my team rallied with me.
I spoke to mompreneurs who were struggling with productivity because they were now working from home while homeschooling. I used my experience to help them cope with the challenges;
I spoke to entrepreneurs who didn’t know how to pivot to this ‘new normal’ and gave practical advice on how to stay afloat;
I spoke to solopreneurs who were now in crisis mode and gave them the strategies to manage that crisis and tips on how to turn that negative into a positive for their business;
Not exaggerating, I lost count of about forty media features/interviews within one month because in every single place I could be, I was.
We didn’t stop there, we reached out to some of our entrepreneurial friends who were struggling and helped them show up as well by booking features and interviews so that they could share their knowledge with a whole new audience;
We were on a mission to save EVERYBODY and honestly, we did.
Many of the businesses we helped, including our own, saw a tremendous increase in sales once the pandemic phase was over. The visibility helped elevate us and soon we were gracing stages, some of my colleagues wrote books and everyone was much better for it.
Did you ever consider giving up? Where did you get the motivation to continue through your challenges? What sustains your drive?
I cannot lie, there were times I questioned why I was even doing this.
Then I remembered that my people needed me.
Some people genuinely did not know what to do or how to cope. They had no idea how to stay afloat I had the answers. It was this that kept me going.
I’m an author and I believe that books have the power to change lives. Do you have a book in your life that impacted you and inspired you to be an effective leader? Can you share a story?
While there are many great books out there, the one that I would say helped me stay focused was Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek.
Knowing your ‘Why’ is the foundation for the success of your business. There will be times that you will feel like throwing in the towel but this book helps you hone in on why you do what you do, helping you understand how to keep going.
What would you say is the most critical role of a leader during challenging times?
To stay calm and think logically.
During times of uncertainty, it is easy to get caught up in negative emotions of anxiety, stress, and fear but as a leader, it is important to show your team that you have everything under control (even if you are freaking out on the inside).
Having worked with clients who are, in what we call Code Red crisis mode, we see how easily things can fall apart when there isn’t a strong person at the helm which is why we encourage all our clients to create and prepare a plan of action in the event a crisis does hit.
This helps because everyone focuses on the solution and it gives them all a part to play in the success of the business when things do ultimately turn around, thereby fostering team spirit.
When the future seems so uncertain, what is the best way to boost morale? What can a leader do to inspire, motivate and engage their team?
This is an ongoing effort, however there are quite a few things to keep employees happy and morale.
1 — Listen and communicate often. Don’t be afraid to be transparent and have tough conversations, particularly during turbulent times. Inform them of ideas and encourage feedback as you work together to resolve the issues. Your employees will respect honesty and feel part of the team.
2 — Show love, support, and appreciation often. Regularly praise them for a job well done. Be empathetic to situations that may be affecting them personally and offer whatever support you can to ensure they get through it. This makes them feel valued and seen, boosts their morale, and inspires them to keep moving forward.
3 — Nurture a healthy work culture. Set attainable goals and allow open lines of communication so they can come to you if they need assistance. I hate micromanaging, it sends a signal to your employees that you don’t trust them, instead let them do what you hired them to do but also let them know that your door is always open should they need guidance.
4 — Have regular team building activities to break the monotony of work and help them see their colleagues as more than just ‘the people they work with daily’.
5 — Encourage breaks. While it might seem counter-productive, particularly if you have a few workaholics in your team, encouraging breaks will reduce the possibility of burnout and will allow them to refresh and refocus, ensuring that they are giving you their best every time. Also, by promoting a culture of taking breaks, employers can demonstrate that they value their employees’ well-being and work-life balance, which will, in turn, foster a positive and supportive workplace culture.
What is the best way to communicate difficult news to one’s team and customers?
I think the best way is to just come right out and say it, being as transparent as possible, however, there’s a saying that ‘It’s not what you say, but how you say it’ which is fundamentally true, so keep the following in mind:
1 — Be honest, but choose your words carefully and watch your tone. Failure to do this can make a bad situation, worse.
2 — Choose a mode of communication that’s appropriate to deliver the news. While face-to-face is always ideal, if this cannot be avoided then a virtual meeting or phone call can suffice. It’s always good to follow up with a written correspondence.
3 — Be prepared with possible solutions to help resolve the issue in the quickest possible time.
4 — Leave room for questions and feedback.
While it’s best to communicate as soon as possible, be aware that even if this may be an appropriate time for you, it may not be such a great time for the recipient of the news. They may be busy or just not in the right frame of mind to process the news then, so exercise patience when having the conversation.
How can a leader make plans when the future is so unpredictable?
I encourage my clients to always have a plan of action for any possible scenario that may arise.
It’s always better to have a plan and don’t need it than to need a plan and don’t have it.
As a Crisis Management company, our approach hinges on a three-pronged strategy:
1 — Assess We conduct a thorough assessment of the situation, identifying possible crises and evaluating all aspects, the impact on operations, and public perception. This forms the bedrock of our action plan.
2 — Strategize: Based on the assessment, we formulate a crisis management action plan tailored to the client’s unique circumstances. This plan will encompass both short-term damage control and long-term reputation restoration.
3 — Empower: We believe in empowering internal teams to handle crises effectively. Alongside the action plan, we offer targeted training sessions to equip staff with the skills and mindset required to manage future challenges confidently.
Is there a “number one principle” that can help guide a company through the ups and downs of turbulent times?
As I mentioned before, knowing your ‘Why’ is the foundation for success. There will be times that you will feel like giving up, but truly understanding and appreciating why you do what you do gives you what you need to keep going.
Can you share 3 or 4 of the most common mistakes you have seen other businesses make during difficult times? What should one keep in mind to avoid that?
As a Crisis Management expert, these are the top mistakes I see clients make:
1 — They ignore it
They hope that it eventually blows over and all will be back as it once was.
This is by far the worst thing you can do because if you do not address the situation head-on it could result in irreparable reputational and financial damage in the future. I will also add here that you must act immediately to show that you are aware of the situation and you are currently putting things in place.
2 They fail to communicate with their team
I see this time and time again during a crisis: the public is aware (usually via the rumor mill) but the staff is not. It can be extremely embarrassing for employees to hear from outside sources what’s happening in the company that claims to value them. I strongly suggest advising staff of what is happening, and create a script so they can set customers straight if necessary.
3 — They fail to control the narrative
Not addressing the situation means that just about any scenario that a person can come up with can be true. Unfortunately, we don’t get the privilege of deciding what people will think….if they think it then the truth is already established for them but we can control the information we put out there. This means communicating with our employees, booking interviews in the media, showing up on social media, and sending out material via email.
4 — They say the wrong thing
I think the only thing worse than not saying anything, is saying the wrong thing. ‘Cancel Culture’ is real and during a crisis, people are highly sensitive and are looking to see how things are being handled. You have to be so careful of what you say, how it’s said, how you show up, who you associate with and so much more. At this point, it’s best to have a PR team that specializes in crisis control to help you curate an image that showcases you in a positive light.
Here is the primary question of our discussion. Based on your experience and success, what are the five most important things a business leader should do to lead effectively during uncertain and turbulent times? Please share a story or an example for each.
1 — Create a Plan
If one doesn’t exist, then create one. During times of crisis, everything has to happen in the quickest possible time so having a plan helps you stay on track, even when emotions are at an all-time high.
2 — Surround Yourself with Great People
This is so crucial because you’re going to need that positive energy to recharge you. Have the right people to lean on, to bounce ideas off of, and who will help steer you in the right direction.
3 — Listen to Your Team
You do not have all the answers so have the conversations, be open to feedback, and make the necessary adjustments as you move along.
4 — Patience is a Must
Things may not go according to plan but you have to be patient throughout the process.
5 — Lead with Heart
Being purpose-driven, even during these times will help you always stay true to your values and make the decisions are best for your brand’s image and reputation.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
My favorite quote is “I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.” -Maya Angelou.
I live by these words every day because it’s a reminder to never stop growing and improving.
How can our readers further follow your work?
Feel free to get in touch with me or my team via our website: www.carlimedia.com or via social media @carlicommunications on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn ir YouTube.
For crisis enquiries, please send an email to [email protected]
Thank you so much for sharing these important insights. We wish you continued success and good health!
Carla Williams Johnson of Carli Communications On Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.